Expansion-comb for warping, beaming, or other machines.



PATENTED MAR. 29, 1904.

- A. E. BROGKS. EXPANSION COMB FOR WARPING, BEAMING, OR OTHER MACHINES.

A PPLIOATIOI FILED AUG. 31, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

INVENTOR. W6 BY mjfi Z5 ATTORNEY.

WY TNE S5155 UNITED STATEs Patented March 29, 1904.

PATENT OEETCE. I

ALBERT E. BROOKS, OE LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO T. C. ENTWISTLE COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

EXPANSION-COMB FOR WARPING,

BEAMING-3 OR OTHER MACHINES.

APECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 755,738, dated March 29, 1904.

. Application filed Augls 31, 1903.

To aZZ uihom, it nuty concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT E. BROOKS, a citizen of the United States,residing in Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Expansion-Combs for Warping, Beaming, or other Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to expansion-combs for warping, beaming, and other machines. The comb box or frame of such a comb is commonly made of two strips of wood screwed or bolted together at the bottom, but separated at the top to allow a space through which the dents may project and in which said dents may be moved toward and from each other. The strips which form the sides and bottom of the comb are hollowed ontheir inner faces to receive the helical or spiral wire springs, of which there are commonly two pairs, placed one pair above the other, and to allow said springs to be expanded and to contract freely as occasion requires. The coils of each spring engage the coils of the other spring of the same pair, and each spring is supported parallel with the axis of the comb-box by a pair of guide-rods placed within said spring on opposite sides of its axis. Dents or vertical flat Wires are arranged between the guide-rods and between coils of all the springs and project from the top of the box, and usually other stouter vertical wires are passed through the springs beyond the ends of the series of dents to connect the springs with the expanding means. All these dents and end wires are provided as near as possible to their lower ends with transverse perforations, through all which perfo-' rations runs a guide and stop rod from end to end of the box. Usually the ends of these guide-rods and stop-rods are secured to rings to keep them in place. With all these parts the box has very little unoccupied space, and this space frequently becomes so clogged with dirt and fiyings that the comb cannot be expanded without danger of breaking the parts and will not contract. The combs from this cause require frequent repairs and are frequently sent to therepair-shop when they Serial No. 171,340. (No model.)

only need cleaning; but the combs thus constructed cannot be cleaned or repaired or inspected internally without taking them apart. The skeleton box or frame, open at the sides, hereinafter described, permits examination of the parts heretofore concealed and facilitates the removal of obstructions to the expansion and contraction of the springs. The stoprod, which retains the dents in the comb, I place directly under and in contact with the upper pair of springs to support said springs, so that the two pairs of springs are at about equal distancesfrom the line of draft of the tapes in order that the dents may be as nearly parallel to each other as possible at all times. Such combs are usually provided with expanding means supported upon brackets secured to thewooden strips which form the box by wood-screws which enter the ends of said strips parallel with the grain of the wood, and are therefore not securely retained in the strips, which are too thin to afford a proper hold for said screws. It frequently happens, therefore, that the brackets are separated from the box by accident, as by a blow or by dropping one end of a comb on the floor. I provide the brackets with wings or sides to receive the ends of the box and also provide means by which the brackets may be attached by vertical screws at the top and bottom of the box, thus more firmly securing the brackets to the box and at the same time retaining in their proper places the strips which form the top of the box.

The means herein shown for expanding the comb are similar to those shown in the patent to Entwistle, No. 383,399, granted December 29, 1885, and consists of metallic tape at each end of the comb and a drum or spindle on which the tape is wound by the turning of a hand-wheel secured to the spindle or drum; but instead of a frictional clamp to prevent the unwinding of the tape I use a retaining-pawl and a ratchet-wheel secured on said spindle, the latter construction enabling the operative to expand the comb by the use of one hand and to prevent the accidental contraction of the comb, such as sometimes takes place where the spindle is held by friction.

I also provide a latch or lock which prevents the retaining-pawl from being accidentally disengaged from the ratchet.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is plan of an expanding comb provided with my improvement. the top strips being broken away nearly from end to end to show the comb; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3, a vertical section on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2; Fig. 4:, a vertical longitudinal section of a part of the skeleton frame detached on the line 4 i in Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a plan, and Fig. 6 a side elevation, of the tape or strap and the rods to which it is attached.

The comb proper, consisting of the springs C C, the dents W, the guide-rods R, the tapes or straps H H, provided with loops. [1. h, the spindlesII, and the hand-wheels J J, are substantially as heretofore used, except as hereinafter stated.

Instead of the usual box, consisting of two strips of wood, as above described, I use a skeleton box or frame, represented in Figs. 1 to L as having a top consisting of two metallic strips A A, arranged parallel with each other at such a distance apart as to allow the dents W to project between and above them. The bottom of the box or frame consists of a strip of wood B, to which are secured by screws 7) two strips D D, preferably metallic, arranged parallel with each other, the interval between said strips receiving the lower ends of the dents and serving as a guide-slot d, the wooden strip B serving to stiffen the bottom of the box. The ends of the box are formed by the heads L L, each head being provided with wings Z, with a ledge Z, on which the ends of the top strips A A rest, said strips being secured to said ledge by screws (1 a. Each head is provided with a shelf or bottom Z which reaches under or is preferably let into the under side of the wooden strip B and is secured thereto by a screw b.

The spindles I I turn in the brackets K K, cast or otherwise formed integrally with the heads L L, and have rigidly secured to them, as by set-screws j j, hand-wheels J J. Ratchet-wheels M M are arranged on said spindles and are caused to rotate with said spindles and hand-wheels, the hubs of the corresponding hand wheel and ratchet wheel having clutch counterparts 7' m, as shown in Fig. 1, the projections j entering and fitting the spaces between the projections m. Pawls N N are pivoted at 12. on the heads L L and engage the rachets M M and prevent any unwinding movement of the spindles. Springs 0 0, represented in Fig. 2 as spiral springs, may be used to keep the pawl in engagement with the ratchet. Pivoted latches P I supported on the heads L L, are represented as turned down against shoulders 12. to prevent the pawls from being jarred or otherwise accidentally lifted out of engagement. The

hand-wheels may be turned while the pawls are lifted out of engagement by a finger of the same hand.

The stop-rod R, instead of passing through holes in the lower endsof the dents W, is arranged under and in contact with the upper pair, C, of springs and prevents the sagging of said upper pair and keeps them at about the same distance from the line of draft of the tapes or straps H H as the lower pair, 0, of springs are arranged, the latter being supported upon the bottom strips D D, this arrangement having a tendency to keep the dents parallel with each other, the friction of the stop-rod R being less likely to throw the dents out of parallelism the nearer said stoprod is placed to the line of draft. Said stoprod R passes through holes in the dents which differ from those heretofore used only in their location.

I claim as my invention- 1. The skeleton frame or open box comprising a top formed by-two parallel strips arranged at an interval from each other, a bottom having parallel strips arranged at an interval from each other, a comb arranged in said box and having dents guided by said intervals, heads to which all said strips are secured and expanding means supported by said heads.

2. The skeleton frame or open box comprising a top,formed by two parallel strips arranged at an interval from each other, a bottom having a guide-slot, said top and bottom being separated from each other, a comb arranged in said box and having dents guided by said slot, heads to which all said strips are secured and expanding means supported by said heads.

3. The combination of a comb-box, the comb, brackets secured to the ends of said comb-box, spindles rotary in said brackets, tapes or straps connecting the ends of said comb with said spindles, ratchets and handwheels rotary with said spindles, pawls to engage said ratehets and latches to prevent accidental disengagement of said pawls from said ratchets.

4. In an expansion-comb, the combination of a suitable frame or box, upper and lower springs, dents arranged *parallel with each other in said springs, expanding means arranged midway between said upper and lower springs, and a stop-rod passing through holes with which said dents are provided, below said upper springs and in contact therewith to support said upper springs.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ALBERT E. BROOKS.

Witnesses:

ALBERT M. MOORE, ALBERT N. MORTON. 

